Launch options

Launch options are a minor feature exclusive to the PC versions of Brawlhalla. They are configuration options that make very minor changes (and generally insignificant) changes to the game.

Branches And Option Availability

Brawlhalla is available on PC through three distribution services across two operating systems with an additional beta branch:

• Steam (Windows): This branch is what most PC players use. It has nearly all options available.
• Steam tech-test (Windows): This is the beta branch and is nearly identical to the main branch. It features an additional launch option family, -framefix, that allows for smoother gameplay and higher framerates.
• Steam (macOS): This branch is somewhat limited in its launch option availability due to technical limitations and the smaller playerbase. A tech-test branch does exist for macOS, but it doesn't seem to offer any benefits over the the main branch.
• Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games Launcher: these two distribution services share the same branch (in fact, the Epic Game Launcher will download a minified version of Ubisoft Connect). This branch is very similar to the main Steam branch for Windows.
• Linux and SteamOS: While Brawlhalla doesn't natively run on Linux, it is possible to run the Steam version for Windows with the Proton compatibility layer. Some launch options may not work correctly as a result.
• Android: Starting Brawlhalla with launch options isn't typically possible on Android, but launching through the activity manager allows passing arguments. A terminal emulator is needed to run the command.

Editing Launch Options

To edit launch options:

• Steam: right-click on Brawlhalla in your Steam library and select "Properties". A menu will pop up with the section "Launch Options", where you can enter any launch options you want.
• Ubisoft Connect: click on Brawlhalla in your Ubisoft Connect Games tab then go to "Properties". Scroll to the bottom and click on "edit" next to "Game launch arguments"; enter any launch options you want then click on "Save".
• Ubisoft Connect Beta: click on Brawlhalla in your Ubisoft Connect Library tab then click "Manage" in the top right of the window then click "Properties". A menu will pop up with a textbox labeled "Add launch arguments", where you can enter any launch options you want.
• Epic Games Launcher: click on your profile icon in the top right the click on "Settings". Scroll down into the "Manage Games" section. Expand the Brawlhalla tab and enable "Additional Command Line Arguments"; enter any launch options you want in the box that appears.

Launching from the Command Line

Starting the game from a terminal using a command is possible on some platforms, and launch options may be passed as well. The following examples assume the game's binary is within the context of shell's current working directory, either through being in same directory or through the PATH environment variable:

• Windows: Brawlhalla -launchOption1 -launchOption2 -launchOptionN (launching through BrawlhallaGame is possible as well)
• Mac: open ./Brawlhalla --args -launchOption1 -launchOption2 -launchOptionN
• Android: am start -n air.com.ubisoft.brawl.halla.platform.fighting.action.pvp/air.com.ubisoft.brawl.halla.platform.fighting.action.pvp.AppEntry --es args "-launchOption" (only one option with no parameters seems to work)

Common Misconceptions

Many players use extraneous launch options. These are typically labelled as generic "Best Steam Launch Options" when searching online. While some Steam games implement them, Brawlhalla does not. These launch options have no effect on the game's performance, how the game acts, or any underlying features. Some of those options include but are not limited to: -high, -force32, -forceservice, -32bit, -dx9, +fps_max 0, -nod3d9ex, -nojoy, -tickrate 128; these do NOT work with Brawlhalla.

List of Launch Options

-noskulls

-noskulls removes skulls from Bombs and the map Shipwreck Falls.

This was added as a response to a Reddit post where a player's mother thought the game was evil due to the skulls.

-multikeyboard

-multikeyboard allows the player to connect multiple keyboards to the same computer and use them as if they were separate controllers.

-unlockfps

-unlockfps sets Brawlhalla's fps target to 1000. This is to help for players who may experience input lag. This is equivalent to -setfps 1000.

-setfps [fps]

-setfps allows players with a monitor/screen refresh rate to play Brawlhalla at the fps of their choice (max refresh rate of the monitor is the limit), rather than the default 60 fps. Minimum fps is 25, and maximum fps is 1000 (assuming the monitor's refresh rate is greater than or equal to 1000).

-framefix/-framefixunbounded

-framefix is an experimental feature to improve animation smoothness and input response. This can be used with -setfps to specify a target fps (typically your monitor's refresh rate).

-framefixunbounded does the same thing but also disables V-Sync and allows the game to run at an fps higher than the monitor's refresh rate assuming it was set high enough using -setfps.

-framefixmode=[mode] may also be used (note the absence of any spaces before and after the equals sign). Mode 1 is equivalent to -framefix, and Mode 2 is equivalent to -framefixunbounded; all other values (including non integers) default to Mode 0, which disables -framefix.

Furthermore, -framefixdebug can be used to debug FrameFixDLL, the library that contains the -framefix code; this option pauses the game process until a debugger is attached. If no debugger is attached, the game will simply remain in a suspended state waiting indefinitely before even creating the window instance.

-framefixmode=[mode] and -framefixdebug are handled by the library directly and not by the game's main code; they're meant for debugging and development. Typical users shouldn't use them and should instead stick to -framefix and -framefixunbounded.

-nonetworknext

-nonetworknext disables Network Next. Network Next is a system that attempts to improve the connection to the servers by optimizing routing, and changing tolerances controlling how the game client and server detect and remedy poor network performance; in effect, this makes the game favor smaller, more frequent rollbacks as opposed to larger spikes in latency. It is enabled by default.

-noeac

-noeac disables Easy Anti-Cheat from running. This can be used if EAC is blocking an installed mod or if the user simply doesn't want to use EAC.

Note that Ranked and Tournament gamemodes are not be available for users with this option enabled.

macOS does not use EAC and as such this option doesn't do anything.

-eac

-eac force-enables EAC (despite the fact it's on by default). The purpose of this is unknown, although it might have been used to test EAC.

-latencytest/-nvidiareflex

-latencytest (or equivalently -nvidiareflex) will draw a white rectangle in the top left of the screen when Brawlhalla detects a mouse press. The purpose of this launch option is to get more data regarding the performance impacts of Easy Anti-Cheat. This launch option only works on devices that are compatible with NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer.

-broadcaster

-broadcaster allows the player to configure team colors through chat commands. This is only client-side, meaning other players don't see this color change in effect.

The following chat commands can be used:

• /teamcolor list - displays the list of usable colors
• /teamcolor [1/2] <color> - change the color for team 1 or 2. By default, team 1 is red team (or left side spawn) and team 2 is blue team (or right side spawn).
• /teamcolor reset - reverts any changes made

Only level-up colors, white, black and the red/blue team colors can be set as a team's color.

This option also removes all Clan names aside from the Clan menu.

-writestats

-writestats records statistics from all games the user spectates and saves them into the "BrawlhallaStatDumps" and "BrawlhallaStatsLive" folders.

This launch option will also render the selected pose and face of all legends used in the match into the "BrawlhallaRenders" folder as the match is starting; renders will only be generated in custom matches.

According to Toast, this launch option can cause unwanted spectate delay, and may even crash the game client. As such, if used for broadcasting purposes, it should not be used on the client that's streaming the match.

-spectatedelay [delay] [discard]

-spectatedelay changes the spectator delay using two parameters.

The delay parameter delays the spectator's game view from the players' by the specified amount in milliseconds. This parameter does not discard any game ticks but will instead linearly shift them forward.

The discard parameter discards the first game ticks equivalent to the specified amount in milliseconds. This parameter does not add any linear delay. In effect, this will delay the spectator at the beginning of the game, but not the end. If the discard parameter is greater than the length of match, the game will instantly load the post-game scoreboard after the number of milliseconds specified passes.

Both parameters require a non-zero integer value; otherwise the user's Spectate Delay system setting is used.

This is commonly used on tournament streams to give production more time to prepare for the next game or get instant replays ready.

-fodabot

-fodabot copies the name(s) of the winning player/team when the scoreboard appears to the user's clipboard; the player names in teams are separated by a "|" (pipe character). This setting will still copy the true name of a player even if they disconnect during an online game. In offline games, the legend's name in all caps is used instead.

Additonally, a dev setting called FodaBotMode exists, but it has no associated code in the live version of the game.

-tinywindow

-tinywindow opens the game in a 960x540 window. The purpose of this is unknown, although it might have been used to test mobile UI.

-controllertest

-controllertest displays any held buttons and/or axes of all connected controllers in the user's chat.

While this option does work on macOS, the macOS build of the game no longer has controller support.

-steamdeck

-steamdeck changes the default button prompts to Steam Deck buttons instead of keyboard buttons. It also removes the ability to change the game's Display Mode, although it doesn't force it to be set to Fullscreen. It also breaks the change controls menu if used on a device that isn't a Steam Deck. Some aspects of the UI will also look slightly different when using the mouse.

This option does not have to be explicitly set by the user or device as the game can automatically detect if it is currently running on a Steam Deck; this suggests this option is meant for testing and development.

-showversion

-showversion displays the current game version in the top left on the main menu.

-forceoffline

-forceoffline forces the game to start and stay in offline mode and will not attempt to connect to Brawlhalla servers even after the game has launched. This also doesn't load the player's profile.

-diagnosticlog/-diagnosticslog

-diagnosticlog (or equivalently -diagnosticslog) creates diagnostic logs containing various game events. These logs are created in the user's document folder, and use the following naming scheme: Brawlhalla-Diagnostic-Log-<Date>-<Time>.txt. The filestream writing the file is not closed until the DiganosticsLog object is destroyed; in other words, the file is only accessible after the game is closed.

Click Expand to view all possible logged events.

• Diagnostics Log: Created
• Diagnostics Log: Destroyed
• Command Line: Arguments
• Display: Created
• Display: Resize
• Display: Render Times
• Display: Frame Times
• Gameplay: Rollback
• Gameplay: Rollback From Input
• Gameplay: Forced Rollback
• Gameplay: Server Time Adjustment
• Gameplay: Input Restamp
• Gameplay: Resync
• Game Network: <UDP/TCP>, Send Packet
• Game Network: <UDP/TCP>, Server Received Index
• Game Network: <UDP/TCP>, Receive Packet
• Game Network: UDP, Connecting
• Game Network: UDP, Closing
• Game Network: UDP, Error
• Game Network: Ping Time
• Game Network: Delay Adjustment
• Network: Connected
• Network: Disconnected
• Error: Crash
• Error: Fatal

-setdate [date]

-setdate controls certain timed aspects of the game. Date format is YYYY-MM-DD.

The following items are controlled by -setdate: main menu Esports tiles, DLC pack tiles.

The following items are not controlled by -setdate, but instead rely on the system clock: Tournament registration and live times in the Esports screen.

The following items are not controlled by -setdate, but instead rely on the Brawlhalla API Status endpoint: current Event and its corresponding shop items, main menu tiles, and splash art, livestream tiles, Prime Gaming Bundles tiles, some DLC tiles, and maintenance and patch tiles. Please note that the current patch's version number must be specified in the URL (which can be extracted from the BrawlhallaAir.swf file); other version numbers will return no Event and a single tile urging the player to update to the latest version.

-ptr

-ptr disconnects the client from the live Brawlhalla Servers (if you're on the latest version), and attempts to connect to a private test realm (although the connection is never established). This launch option is probably related to the certification (previously named "ptr") and certification-tech-test branches. The purpose of this launch option might be for partners (such as intellectual property owners) to preview upcoming content such as Crossovers.